Melodramatic Fools
by scrawnyspeckygit
Summary: Russell would have gladly paid the tuition to keep his lesbian daughter in boarding school. Hell, he would have paid for Quinn to join her what with babygate. So, what happens when Judy decides it's time for Charlie to come home? Fafaberry. Lots of it.
1. Basket Case

_Okay, so this is my first Fafaberry fic, so go easy on me. Basically, it's senior year, except that it's slightly AU in the fact that Fuinn are still together. Enjoy!_

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><p><em>Sometimes I give myself the creeps, sometimes my mind plays tricks on me.<em>

Chapter One: Basket Case

"I haven't been in here in forever." Charlie murmured to herself as she perused the aisles of the music store, letting her fingers idly ghost over sheet music and biographies of different artists. A tiny grin had hastened to grace her face, and it only grew wider when she passed over a vinyl copy of U2's album The Joshua Tree.

_Quinn would like this_, she thought to herself, letting a finger run over it. Charlie wasn't much for bribery, but maybe a nice gift would lessen the shock value of her return… And Quinn did seem to have taken a liking to U2… But then, the last time Charlie had spoken to her about music had been three years ago, before high school. There was no telling how much she'd changed.

But still… Biting her lip, Charlie tilted the album to take a glance at the price and promptly paled. An internal war immediately ensued.

She had a job – but wait, no. A frown tugged at her lips. She _didn't_ have a job anymore, did she? Her money had spawned from working at the concessions at various events on campus… and well, her stay at New Haven Academy had ended weeks ago. Since then, she'd taken up residence at her older sister Frannie's house in Columbus, waiting diligently throughout the summer for her mother's "okay" to return to the Fabray home.

Now it was a week before senior year started, and Charlie had just arrived in Lima. Which is why she'd opted to lounge a local strip mall for a bit in the effort to procrastinate the drama that would inevitably follow her homecoming. Since she was more than fairly certain her mother hadn't bothered to tell Quinn about it just yet.

No, Charlie was going to be the one who had to open Pandora's Box.

_Still_, she thought, eyeing the vinyl album. With or without a job, she could afford to splurge a little. Especially if the effort in a present prevented Quinn from killing off harmless villagers.

With a smile, Charlie picked up the case and made a move to head toward the register at the end of the aisle when she glimpsed something large lumbering toward her in the corner of her vision.

A boy, vaguely resembling the Eifel Tower, had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He sported a rueful grin as he zoned in on her. "Hey, babe! I didn't know you were here." he greeted Charlie before leaning forward.

The girl raised an eyebrow as his face got closer and closer until she realized what was happening. Her eyes widened as he captured her lips with his own.

Well, Charlie certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore.

* * *

><p>Quinn Fabray was suspicious.<p>

Hazel eyes drifted away from her phone as she idly clicked the OK button, thereby sending a confirmation text to Santana Lopez about some party she was supposed to attend next weekend. They fell over her mother who was busily working across from her in the kitchen, baking.

Because, ever since Russell had left near the end of sophomore year, Judy Fabray had taken to baking. Quinn didn't particularly approve, considering that after the baby it was very tough to get back in shape with the smell of brownies and cookies constantly smacking you in the face when you walked through the door, but she didn't complain either. Mostly because she had been sure that at some point her mother was going to break down into an emotional wreck because of the divorce, and _she _would have to comfort her.

Baking, apparently, prolonged the unavoidable awkwardness. It must get her mind off it, Quinn thought, although occasionally she would catch Judy hunched over a batch of cookies or something similar. Yes, multiple times she'd seen the silent tears across her mother's face as she fought back sobs… When it happened, Quinn would always force herself to look away, and, with a tight throat, she would wonder to herself what was so sad about baking. Then she'd leave.

So, really, there was nothing peculiar about her mom's constantly being in the kitchen. However, Judy had been in there since the morning, and though Quinn hadn't been bothered enough to go and see what she was making, she was well aware that the food she'd prepared far surpassed the quantity needed for just two people.

When she had pried her mother about it, though, Judy had simply shrugged it off. She told Quinn that a few friends were coming over and that the blond ought to look nice or she'd regret it. That part didn't really pique Quinn's curiosity, since during and after the divorce, Judy had had many of her friends from work or otherwise over to eat. Quinn supposed it was nice having a few people in the house after going so long with just two, but what was really bothering her was the fact that her mother wouldn't tell her _who _was coming over.

For some reason, the blond found that incredibly disconcerting, _especially _since whenever she pried for more details about the "friends" this look would cross her mother's face. It strangely resembled sympathy.

Something told her that this wasn't going to be good.

* * *

><p>"I am <em>too <em>gay for this!" Charlie practically shouted as she shoved the rather appalled boy off of her. Her chest was heaving, mostly from the lack of oxygen she'd just experienced, but also because she was _livid_.

It had taken her a fraction of a second longer than it should have for her to realize the teen rubbing the stubble around his mouth all over her face was what could be considered kissing, and once she was done being stunned over the fact that a perfect stranger had just _kissed _her, she'd shut it down. Namely, by grabbing him by the shirt (a move that he apparently thought was prompting and tried to stick his tongue in her mouth) before pushing him back into a shelf with all the force she could muster.

As it happened, Charlie didn't have to exert her muscles too much, considering gravity did pretty much everything for her. The boy, apparently not too graceful on his feet, slammed into the shelf – knocking a few CDs and books to the floor – before his feet got tangled and he promptly fell into a pile on the ground.

However, he didn't seem to be as concerned with the assault as much as he was with what she'd said.

"Wait, _what_?" he cried, eyes wide from his place amongst the felled merchandise. "You're _gay_?" He looked incredulous, and Charlie knew she must appear the same. What the _hell _did he expect pulling something like that? He was lucky she didn't have mouth herpes or something as equally distressing.

"As a matter of fact, I am!" Her voice had lowered since the initial surprise, because although the shelves gave them some privacy from the rest of the shop, the store had gone uncannily quiet since her uncomfortably loud announcement about her sexuality. She was almost certain people were listening in. "But, that shouldn't even _matter_. A girl shouldn't have to walk around with a pride pamphlet stapled to her forehead in the hopes that some random guy would see it before he decided to try and kiss her!" She struggled to keep quiet, and her words came out in an angry, hoarse whisper.

But, it was hard containing her rage, especially when the boy looked as if he'd gone into such a shock that he was barely registering anything she said. With a strangled sound, Charlie made for the end of the aisle and burst out into the open where a few customers who'd been watching the shelves eyed her inquisitively. She heard a guy say something like, "Well, it sure is a pity," to his friend.

"Random…?" she heard behind her, and Charlie's eyes immediately rolled of their own accord. Honestly, she prided herself on being a nice person. However, when stressed or confronted with a difficult situation, she did get a bit cranky. And her patience was slowly dwindling for this boy.

"You c-can't be gay! That would mean you like girls!" The boy said to the back of her head, making no effort to quiet his voice, which carried. Naturally.

Charlie whipped around and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, that would be the definition of gay."

"B-but," began the boy, and she was certain he was about to argue. What was up with this jerk? Didn't he know this was embarrassing? Didn't he know that _he _was in the wrong and he should have just stayed down?

It made her madder than when her father had sat her down at age fourteen and showed her a pamphlet to New Haven.

"Are you an idiot?" she demanded, hazel eyes blazing with irritation. "Do you not know what a girl is?" Charlie shoved a finger in the direction of a girl of her age behind the register that promptly looked faint upon the gesture – which was puzzling – and glared. "_That's _a girl." she practically shouted before pointing to several others in the shop, all of whom looked ill whenever her gaze settled on them.

It was disconcerting. Even if she was making a scene, she wasn't quite certain why they would fear her.

"And _that's _a girl!" she finally pointed toward a brunette who had been conspicuously eying them from behind a book (_Streisand: A Biography_ it read). The girl was dressed in what Charlie would have kindly referred to as a yellow shirt – but in all honesty, it favored the hue of puke more – with a white reindeer emblazoned across it and a black and yellow (again, puke) plaid skirt to match it. Upon being pointed at, the girl immediately dropped the book to the floor and looked as if she could have died.

The boy, however, had simply gaped at her throughout the whole temper tantrum – because yes, Charlie was aware singling out every girl in the shop to prove she was gay would qualify as having a fit. That is, he gaped until she pointed at that last girl, realized she was there, and started sputtering. "_Rachel_?"

Charlie guessed he recognized her, although she wasn't really sure if the question was directed at her or Rachel. "Yeah, sure, whatever." she told him, hugging the vinyl to her chest. "Point is: _I like girls_. Not you, _whatever-your-name-is_." She all but spat those last words, making sure the patented Fabray venom clung to every single syllable.

The kid looked as if he were holding back tears at this point. "My… name… is… Finn…" he sniffled, appearing both utterly shocked and hurt at the same time.

Although it really could be considered pathetic the way he was trying to stealthily dab at his eyes, it actually warmed something in Charlie. The ice that had taken up residence in her gaze promptly melted, and she gave the boy a look of utter pity. Expelling a sigh, she scratched her head as her anger seemed to instantly dissipate. "Look, kid—Finn. I'm sure there's a girl out there for you. It's just not me. And that's not your fault. I'm just not attracted to you, okay? It can't be helped. But you look kind of cute, and I'm sure other girls might think so, too. Just don't randomly kiss them, okay? You'll be fine, kid." With that, she made a move to ruffle his hair, but then found the reach a little too high, and let her hand swing back down awkwardly.

He just stared at her, eyes red.

"Right… So, uh. Yeah." Charlie said blankly before scratching her own head again and looking around. The entire shop's eyes were on them.

Swallowing her embarrassment, she made a beeline for the register and slapped a few bills down on the counter, a couple dollars more than enough for the vinyl. When the stunned cashier made no move to take the money or scan the record and Charlie could still feel Finn's eyes on the back of her head, she made the consecutive decision to leave the money and all but sprinted out of the store.

* * *

><p>Two batches of lasagna, fried potatoes, and some expensive looking champagne awaited her in the kitchen.<p>

This told Quinn four things.

One: The "friends" were close to her mother because otherwise she wouldn't have wasted the time (or money) on their dinner.

Two: At least some of them were of drinking age.

Three: There had to be more than one of them for the quantity, although the plural use of friend already sort of gave that way.

Four: That lasagna looked really good.

Idly staring at the food as she entered the kitchen, Quinn glanced over at her mother.

"So—"

"Quinn, I'm not telling you who they are." Judy cut her off before she could get a word in. She moved to lean against the counter and smiled proudly at her finished work.

The ex-cheerleader, however, huffed in an almost childlike fashion. Honestly, if anyone else was in the room (especially if they were from school), they wouldn't have recognized the girl. Only her mother got to see her more juvenile side. "But—" she began to protest.

"No."

"Are they—"

"Nada."

"_Mom_—"

"Nope."

"Rah!" Quinn shouted, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration 'causing Judy to smile.

Muttering under her breath, she scowled at her mom's amusement and made her way to the refrigerator to pull out some microwaveable bacon for a snack – Judy actually had the nerve to chortle. What could she say? Since the pregnancy, her cravings never really got back to normal.

Just as she opened the microwave, however, her phone went off in her pocket. She debated not checking it, figuring it was just a response from Santana, but then it went off two more times.

_Where's the fire?_ Quinn thought, eyes widening a little in puzzlement as she fished her phone out of her pocket. She checked the most recent text as she shut the door and started up the microwave.

**Puck: So, this means I've banged two lesbians? RIGHT ON!**

Quinn stared at the text with a quirked brow. _What the hell? He can't have meant to send that to me_. With a sigh, she deleted the message and mosied back to the fridge to pour herself a glass of orange juice. Once it was full, she gripped the glass in one hand and was about to check the next message when the microwave went off.

Calmly, she opened the microwave, pulled out two delicious-looking pieces of bacon on a napkin and placed them and her glass onto the counter opposite her mom. Only when she was settled did she lean back against it to check the next message.

**Finn: …Does this mean your breaking up with me?**

Quinn supposed this should have piqued her curiosity more, but she was used to this kind of tripe from her boyfriend. You see, Finn wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box, but he was cute, and he was going to help her win prom queen this year. But still, everything he said had to be taken with a grain of salt. Accuracy wasn't exactly his _forte_, and so Quinn simply raised an eyebrow at the text. The most interesting thing about it was the fact that he had failed to use 'you're' instead of 'your' again.

Boredly expelling a breath, she started taking a sip of her orange juice as she clicked the button to read the next text.

**Finn: QUINN YOU'RE A LESBIAN AND YOU'RE GAY FOR RACHEL?**

Well, _that _certainly grasped her attention. If grasping her attention meant that she choked on her orange juice and sprayed it all over her mother and the two cooling batches of lasagna next to her.

Also, he used 'you're' correctly.


	2. Running Up That Hill

_Oh, wow, I'm really glad you guys like the story, and thank you for all of the kind reviews :). To answer a question about the Fafaberry in this fic, no, Quinn does not hate Charlie. Hopefully, their relationship will be spelled out in this chapter. And, um, I'm not sure what you mean, but yes, there will be rivalry. Fafaberry usually refers to the Fabray twins battling for Rachel's affections, and that's basically the idea for this story too. They won't be sharing Rachel xD._

_Anyways, enjoy this ridiculously long chapter, and I'll try to update more quickly. :)_

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><p><em>So much hate for the ones we love? <em>_Tell me, we both matter, don't we?_

Chapter Two: Running Up That Hill

"Oh, _Quinnie_!" exclaimed her mother, peering down at her white cardigan (now coupled off with a hundred bright orange splotches) and then at the lasagna with barely concealed disdain. A grimace was scrawled across her features. "They're going to be here _any second_, and I don't have time to make more food!"

Honestly, Quinn felt bad. She _genuinely _did, but it was proving difficult for her to try to placate her mother while she was in the middle of choking. Tears streamed down the flat plains of her face, and she gripped the counter tightly for balance.

"I-I'm going to c-cough up a l-lung." she sputtered, attempting desperately to remember how to swallow.

Her mother gave her a glance of sympathy as she shed her cardigan. Thankfully, the blouse underneath was devoid of orange juice, and she sighed in relief. "Did it go down the wrong way?"

_Yes, and apparently people think that _I _go down the wrong way_, Quinn thought with huge eyes as she wheezed. "You could say that."

Judy eyed her for a moment and was just about to reply when the doorbell buzzed. The two Fabray women stood frozen before exploding into action.

"Probably not a lot of it got on the food! I-I'll just serve it. Thank goodness they're family!" her mother cried as she grabbed the batches and rushed to the dining room. "Get the champagne, Quinn!"

The blond stared after her in a daze, not even beginning to try and contemplate where that text had come from, before something she'd said snapped in her mind. "_Family?_" she hollered after her speeding mother as she captured the bottles in her arms and hurtled after her.

The Fabray family didn't exactly bear an abundance of relatives. For one thing, Russell was an only child, which meant that there were neither aunts nor uncles on his side. For another, Quinn highly doubted Judy would care to entertain any relatives from her father's side after the divorce, so that possibility was out. As for her mother? Her sister and parents lived in Oregon on the other side of the country, and the last time they had visited was when Quinn and Judy flew up there during the summer of the divorce.

As such, family was a relatively (pun intended) singular term in the Fabray house. So after she'd all but flung the champagne on the table and bolted after Judy - who was now at the door - Quinn was terrifyingly and furiously certain who it was.

"Sorry," murmured her mother, giving her one last glance before opening the door.

Oh, dear Lord.

And as if today couldn't get any worse, it was then that she realized she'd forgotten to eat her bacon.

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><p>Russell Fabray had enrolled his daughter into New Haven Academy her freshman year. It was an all-girls (something he'd made sure to specify) Christian school of great standards and an equally great tuition.<p>

Some people might think it was a cruel punishment to send his daughter to a school full of faith-devoted females after finding her in his home – _his home_ – kissing another girl at the age of thirteen.

They might think it was terrible of him to want his daughter to be stuck in a position where she could not be herself for fear of others' judgment. Because, really, expressing her feelings at New Haven was exceedingly infeasible. Everyone who went there was a Christian and believed highly in the faith. So maybe a few would accept her if she tried to be a – Russell shuddered at the word – _lesbian _there as well? Pfft. It wouldn't make up for the disgust that the rest of them would feel at the thought of having a girl who likes girls among them.

People also might think that the fact that his own daughter only came home for holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving (and summer once her freshman year) was a travesty.

People might think this, and people might think that. But really, in Russell's eyes, they didn't matter. Probably gays or incompetent teens anyways.

You see, what no one realized was that he was just trying to _help _his daughter. Why would he be paying such a large sum each and every year to punish her? No, he just wanted her to realize she was going down the wrong path and needed some guidance. Guidance that he and Judy simply couldn't give her. So, he'd concocted the plan to send her to New Haven as soon as high school began.

What he didn't count on was his other twin (the best of the lot he always thought) to get pregnant and kicked out of the celibacy club and the cheerleading squad. When that happened, Russell had full-heartedly contemplated the idea of sending her to New Haven as well. However, he couldn't help but question his parenting skills. Where had he gone wrong?

The thing was, before he could talk to Judy about his concerns, he was getting divorced. The reasons behind it he didn't care to get into. The point was: he was no longer allowed in his daughters' lives. It was difficult for Russell to accept that, but eventually he did, knowing that his daughters probably resented him too much for him to be anyways. But he wasn't a bad father. When senior came around, he wrote to Judy, asking her as politely as he could (why should he have to ask about his own children?) if she'd like him to pay for the tuition to New Haven again as he had last year.

It took a while for her to get back to him. He wasn't sure why until he received her answer. No.

Russell could only hope that Charlotte had undergone the transformations she so desperately needed. His daughter being… what she was… in _Lima_? He couldn't fathom it.

* * *

><p>"Char, you okay?" Frannie sat up in her car and jostled her husband, who was fast asleep in the driver's seat, in the effort to rouse him. David groaned something unintelligible before blinking his eyes open wearily.<p>

"Yeah, fine." hissed Charlie as she crawled into the back and sullenly tossed the album into the seat beside her. She instantly regretted her tone when she saw Frannie's arched brow and expelled a sigh. Really, it hadn't been her intention to be rude, but everything that had happened with that Finn kid had certainly put her in a mood. But then, that wasn't David or Frannie's fault, and so, Charlie put a valiant effort in shooting them an apologetic look. However, it seemed they just weren't going to simply let it go.

David turned to look at her, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and his voice took on a sort of fatherly tone as his gaze settled on her. "Yeah, Char, what's wrong? You seemed perfectly fine when you dragged us to this music store to further avoid your sister." A lazy smile hung across his face, his words nonchalant. Charlie couldn't help but crack a tiny half grin.

You see, David was kind of like… the accepting father she'd never had. He and Frannie had taken it upon themselves to take care of her, mostly because they lived closest to New Haven, but it had gone further than that. Somehow, they'd made this transformation from the fun older sister and brother-in-law to actual parental figures. Yes, they were Christians, and the reasons behind why she was sent to boarding school were very awkward with them at first. But after a year with no sign of change, they'd simply made the decision to accept it.

They were perfect.

"Nothing's wrong." Charlie sighed, unconsciously fingering the album. "I just got reminded why I don't like guys. They're idiots."

Thankfully, this wasn't taken the wrong way, and David and Frannie met each other's eyes before chuckling. "Well, thanks." David replied, feigning offense. Now that he was assured that nothing _too serious _had happened, he turned back to the wheel. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Charlie giggled slightly at his affronted face before the memory promptly mellowed her humor. Sighing resolutely, she shook her head. "No… I'll just get in a worse mood if I talk about it. Maybe we should just go…" Perhaps there should have been a _home_ at the end of that sentence, Charlie couldn't help but wonder… But she just couldn't help trailing off when the word seemed so… _foreign_.

Her sister's expression let her know that she hadn't missed the lack of a specific location, but neither of them said a word. Besides, it was easy enough for Frannie to assume. "Do you think it's a good idea to head there when you're in a bad mood? Maybe we could go get ice cream…"

"No." Charlie said with a hard gaze. She'd done enough procrastinating, and it was time to face what awaited her at the Fabray house. "Let's just go. Besides, I'm not all that hungry, and it's a long trip back to Columbus for you two. I don't want to keep you waiting any longer."

An assuring smile graced Frannie's face, and she reached forward to grip Charlie's shoulder comfortingly before turning back to her husband. "You heard her, bub. Let's go."

David snorted as he turned the key, and the car started up a few lazy seconds afterward. "Did I ever tell you you're hot when you're demanding?" He waggled his eyebrows before leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips.

"_Ewwwwww._" Charlie jeered in the backseat, covering her eyes as they pulled out of the lot and headed out of the strip mall. In all honesty, she actually liked watching David and Frannie kiss. Not in a perverse way, no. It was just cute, and really… She wished she had something like it.

"Always the epitome of maturity, Char." David mused, eyeing her through the rearview mirror. His brown gaze lit up as he promptly noticed she was holding something. "What've you got there?"

"Um… oh. I bought this in the store. It's a vinyl album, 'cause you know how I have that record player in my room…" Charlie trailed off, hazel eyes locking with the back of Frannie's seat. She hadn't been in her room in more than a year. Did they even still have the record player? "But anyways, it's U2."

Frannie perked up at that and cast her younger sister a glance. "Quinn would like that."

Charlie smiled. "I thought so, too."

* * *

><p>"I don't think I can do this." Charlie had never had a panic attack before, but she was almost certain she was having one right now. And because she'd never had one before and didn't know what to expect, it just made it even more… panicking.<p>

The car was already pulled into the Fabray driveway, and oddly enough, it wasn't the house that had made her start freaking out. It had been the car David had parked next to. See, Russell had always talked about giving that car to Charlie and Quinn when they were sixteen, and at first, they'd been completely affronted by the idea of sharing it. But when they'd started learning together, around the age of twelve, the idea had begun to grow on them.

Anyways, Charlie had the distinct memory of Russell taking them out to drive around the local grocery store's parking lot in the seventh grade. After a bit, he'd decided to go inside to get them chocolate bars for their good day's work. They were to stay put until he got back… And they did, but not before somehow accidentally dropping one of Charlie's charms from her bracelet into the air conditioner. The two had panicked, and knowing Russell would kill them if he found out, they'd simply opted not to tell him. Ever since, the air conditioner would always rattle, and though their father always swore he'd get to the bottom of it, he never got it fixed…

That had been a joke between them, and the two would always smile like idiots whenever the rattling started… Charlie knew she hadn't been around long enough to inherit the car with Quinn, so now it belonged to her sister… But, she couldn't help but wonder if the girl had ever gotten it fixed.

Irrelevant? Maybe. But, _that _was what reminded her of how long she'd been gone. _That _was what made her remember that her life in Lima had been over for a year – actually more like since high school. Why should she be allowed to return now?

"Char." Frannie turned from the front seat again before her eyes widened. "_Char_, whoa. Breathe slower. Yeah, that's right. In and out. You looked like you were about to hyperventilate for a second there."

_That's because I _was _hyperventilating_, Charlie thought pointedly, though she didn't say it out loud. She had to admit… Stress – and this was indeed very stressful – tended to bring out her snarky side. "Yeah… I… I don't…"

The driver's door opened, and Charlie's eyes widened as David leaped out and headed up the walk to the front door. "What is he _doing_?" she demanded her sister.

Suddenly, a buzzing emitted from the house that could only be the doorbell. Charlie and Frannie stared at each other for a beat before they immediately jumped out of the car and scrambled up the walk, the blond only remembering at the last second to grab the vinyl as she slid out.

"What's wrong with you?" she all but shouted at David as she and her sister clumsily sidled up next to him. Strike panic, she'd moved on to full-on hysteria.

Nonchalantly clicking a button to lock the car, he smirked at her. "Well, someone had to get you out of the car. We would have been there all day if I hadn't done something."

If looks could kill, Charlie's would have… Well, it wouldn't have killed him because Frannie probably would have killed _her_ if she did, but the look _definitely_ would have left him seriously injured if not maimed. She was about to say something when quite the racket from inside the house distracted her.

"_Family_?" cried a voice all too familiar to her – her own – and chills swept through Charlie as she listened to the sound of bottles clinking.

Her heart was thundering anxiously in her chest, and subconsciously, Charlie started to slink behind David and Frannie until she was almost hidden from view. Oh God, what was she doing? She hadn't been here in a _year_. She'd missed _Christmas _last year. _What was she doing_?

That's when the door swung open, and over Frannie and David's shoulders, Charlie glimpsed her mother, her hair swept into a bun and her face expressing that of supreme exhaustion. But, her eyes didn't linger on Judy for too long, and soon they were fixated on the person behind her.

Quinn stood in the hallway, and Charlie couldn't help but notice how… _frigid _she appeared. Although they shared each other's looks, envy still managed to strike her at how alarmingly beautiful her twin was. But, it was a cold beauty, and Charlie wondered when that had happened… Her sister had used to be so warm… Now she appeared as if she had been sculpted out of ice...

Awkwardness ensued as both parties grappled about for something to say, until David, the most sociable by far, perked up. "_Judy_!" he cried in an ear-splitting voice that caused Charlie to flinch. "You look lovely tonight." His gentle features beamed brightly before he abruptly reached forward to give the woman – who looked slightly shell-shocked – a bear hug. It took a moment before she returned it.

When the exchange was done, he leaned back to let his gaze fall over Quinn. "You're looking like a picture, too, Quinn." he informed her with a charming wink. A charming wink that was apparently lost on her sister, since the girl simply stared at him with a blank expression before turning her hazel eyes on Charlie and thereby making her blood turn to slush. Her mouth went dry as her sister's gaze poured over her. Those were her eyes, right? They shouldn't intimidate her as much as they did…

"Thanks." Quinn finally said after a quiet moment.

However, the words seemed to snap Judy out of her shock because suddenly the woman smiled. Or feigned a smile. Whichever. "Yes, thank you, David. Always the charmer. My daughter definitely married the right man- person."

It was a difficult task fighting the urge to facepalm at the silence that surrounded them. Charlie guessed it was the thought that counted what with her mother trying to accommodate the certainty that _she _wouldn't be marrying a man. But really, it was unnecessary and proved to make a situation Charlie had thought couldn't get any more uncomfortable even more so… _Tonight's gonna be great, I can tell._

Anyways, it was when Frannie threw a tight-lipped smile at Quinn and moved in to hug Judy as well that Charlie realized she should follow suit. Swallowing, she gripped the vinyl hard and forced a grin… Unfortunately, it came out more like a grimace which resulted in an _actual_ grimace. God.

"Hey, Mom." she said in a quiet voice before stepping forward to slowly wrap her arms around the woman, careful to not jab her with the vinyl. Judy was quite skinnier than Charlie had seen her in a while, and the girl couldn't help but wonder if she'd been eating properly. Slight anger coursed through her as she thought about how the divorce must be affecting her and how Quinn should have been _making sure _she was eating. But, she quickly brushed it off as she leaned back from the hug.

Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as Charlie had thought it was going to be, but that was mostly due to the fact that she'd already endured so much awkwardness with her mother that she'd grown used to it. You see, Judy had called her at the beginning of the summer to tell her that she wasn't going back to New Haven her senior year. The calls had continued until they had both made the decision Charlie would return the week before school started, and steadily… She'd grown to be comfortable around her mother again. And yeah, it was pretty sad that that had to be a development.

As they pulled away, Charlie's eyes finally found their way back to Quinn, and the two stared at each other for a tense moment. Until Charlie remembered the record. "I remembered…" she said almost inaudibly before clearing her voice and starting again more confidently. "I remembered you said you liked U2. This sort of caught my eye… so…" She lifted the album a little so her sister could see.

Quinn's reaction was nearly nonexistent as she boredly glanced at the album before looking back at her twin. Charlie fidgeted under her gaze and swallowed hard again. God, her eyes were just _so blank_. "I hate U2." Quinn said simply before turning on her heel and heading out of the hallway.

Awesome.

* * *

><p>It took a couple minutes for Judy to coax Quinn out of her bedroom after the storm-out, but when she did, they all gathered in the dining room without a word.<p>

_Well, there goes their chances of getting back home before dark_, thought Charlie when they were unexpectedly offered dinner. It was supposed to be that Frannie and David were simply going to drop her off, but she knew they couldn't turn down food after her mother had spent all day cooking.

So, they had all sat down with Judy and David at the heads of the table, Charlie and Frannie on one side, and Quinn on the other. So far, not much had been said besides idle chatter, and Charlie had taken to pushing her lasagna around. She was in the middle of considering forcing it down to appease her mother (although she hadn't been expecting dinner and wasn't very hungry) when David broke the silence.

"Judy, I really love this lasagna. Something in the cheese, I think. It's like… tangy…"

Following his words, there was a sort of choking sound from across the table, and Charlie flicked her eyes over to where Quinn sat. To her alarm, it suddenly looked as if her sister was about to spontaneously combust… Until she realized that… Was Quinn _laughing_?

"Tangy." repeated her twin between giggles, clutching her stomach, and Judy shot the girl a dark glare before murmuring a brief thanks to a puzzled David.

Maybe it was twin telepathy, but Charlie figured either Quinn had finally lost it or something was up with the lasagna. Just to be safe, she put her fork down. Which Judy noticed and turned to her with a concerned look.

"Do you not like the lasagna, Charlotte?" she asked her kindly, though her expression looked hurt, and Charlie winced. She absolutely _despised _being addressed by her full name, but her mother had been doing it ever since they'd first started talking again, and really, she didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.

"No, it's not that." Charlie attempted a tiny smile. "I just… I wasn't expecting to have dinner. Do you mind if I just heat it up later?"

Comforted by the fact that her cooking wasn't the reason Charlie wasn't eating, Judy bobbed her head up and down cheerily. "Of course not—"

"Wait, _what_?" hissed a voice on the other side of the table, and Charlie swung her gaze over to see that Quinn had immediately sobered up from her previous fit of laughter. Her glare was piercing. "She's _staying_?"

The outburst caused yet another awkward beat in which David and Frannie didn't seem to know what to do with themselves, so they simply watched. And that sucked, considering the fact that Charlie had no idea what to do as well. She opened her mouth to speak, but apparently had become unexpectedly mute. Thankfully, Judy was in no way as disabled, and the woman sighed heavily.

"Yes, Quinnie, dear, she's staying."

Silence overwhelmed the table for an uncomfortable tick before Quinn stood up, clanking her silverware down as she did so. "Well, just _great_." she snarled, fixing Charlie with one last venomous glare before whipping around and stalking out of the dining room.

Honestly, Charlie wondered where she'd learned all of those storm-outs from.

* * *

><p>The vinyl – she had no idea what to do with it now – was balanced up against the coffee table as Charlie sat uncomfortably on the couch with her mother perched in a chair across from her. She fiddled with the edge of the cushion, hazel eyes glancing up every few seconds to catch Judy staring at her... It was unnerving.<p>

David and Frannie had departed for Columbus thirty minutes ago, although Judy had offered for them to stay the evening since it was late by the time they were about to head off. Which David full-heartedly agreed to until Frannie kicked him hard in the shin underneath the table. Charlie couldn't say she blamed her – they all knew she, Quinn, and Judy needed to talk. And who the hell wanted to be present for _that_?

So after thanking the two for the ride and a few assuring smiles were exchanged, Charlie found herself waiting in the living room with Judy while Quinn took a call in the kitchen. At first, she'd theorized the call was simply Quinn's means to avoid her after everything that had taken place at dinner, but as shushed whispers carried into the living room, she began to think otherwise.

Really, Charlie wasn't much of an eavesdropper, but this was different. She hadn't seen or spoken to her sister in a long time, so it was only natural that she'd be curious about… well, everything about her. Anyways, it was difficult to gather much from the muffled words – damn walls – but Charlie could at least tell that the conversation was heated from the lack of ebbing between talking.

Actually, she was just straining her ears to try and listen in when her mother's words suddenly drifted through the air.

"That was nice of you." Judy said softly, and Charlie let her gaze fall over the woman. She blinked in puzzlement, which Judy noticed and hastily continued. "Bringing that album, I mean… It was thoughtful."

"Oh." replied Charlie dumbly. Fidgeting, she tried for another attempt at a smile before simply giving up and grimacing. "Too bad she doesn't like them."

At this, Judy actually smirked, and Charlie's eyebrows furrowed. The woman was about to say something else when a shout split the air.

"_You kissed my boyfriend_!" bellowed Quinn as she charged into the living room. "You've been here _one day_, you're a _lesbian_, and yet you still managed to _kiss my boyfriend_!"

Cringing at the way her sister's accusations shattered the quiet calm of the room, Charlie peered over at the girl blankly, wondering what on earth she meant until it hit her like a cement mixer who exactly she'd been on the phone with. She was almost rendered speechless as she recalled the events of the day, and everything fell into place like clockwork. Except that she wasn't, and Charlie truly doubted her own sanity after she'd spoken the only words that had come to mind. "Wait, _what_? _That _was your boyfriend?"

Fire laced the ringlets of Quinn's hazel eyes, and the girl might have actually slapped her if it weren't for Judy. Charlie turned a grateful eye toward her mother as the woman broke the intensity of the moment in a way only a parent could.

"You have a boyfriend, Quinn?"

Quinn's gaze never left Charlie, animosity evident all across her features, as she responded, her voice almost reluctant. "Yes. I'm dating Finn again."

"_Finn_?" Judy exclaimed in bewilderment. "The quarterback of the football team? The one who thought _he _was the father? Through a _hot tub_?"

Charlie choked on her own laughter as she recalled that particular story from previous phone calls with her mother and thought about the boy in the music store. He _totally _fit that bill. Unfortunately, it earned her another withering glare from her sister.

"Yes." Quinn answered as calmly as she could without popping a blood vessel. "It's been a few months now. Or it might have been a few months but apparently _I _broke up with him today." A menacing scowl was quickly directed at Charlie.

"First off, he thought I was you and kissed _me_. I had no way of knowing he was with you." Charlie countered, anger slowly beginning to course through her. This was _not _her fault. "And besides, why the hell—" Judy murmured a soft, "Language," in the background — "wouldn't he know you have a twin anyways?" Sure, Charlie knew that even if the boy _had _known they were twins, he probably wouldn't have expected her in Lima, and everything probably would have happened the same way… But, still… She had a feeling. And, apparently, her instinct was good because Quinn suddenly blanched.

Shoving her hurt feelings aside, Charlie simply let pure rage wash over her. "You haven't told anyone, have you?" she snarled at her sister, standing up to face her. "It's convenient, isn't it? We move from Bellville to Lima to start high school, and of course, I'm not around half the year. Plus, why would you want someone like _me _for a sister, right?" She approached Quinn until there were only a few feet between them. To her sister's credit, she didn't back down at all, and they simply stared at each other, neither's gaze wavering. "So, _naturally_, I don't exist!"

It stung. More than Charlie could say. So, she did what Fabrays were most skilled at and locked the feelings away.

"Well," her sister said after a few seconds. "Now you do. I can't really stop you. So, congratulations, Pinocchio. You're a real boy."

There was silence for an almost unnatural amount of time, the two just standing there while the grandfather clock across the room ticked ominously in the background. Finally, Judy seemed to find words past her shock to speak.

"Charlotte, dear, I don't think it was quite that as much as it… never came up."

Charlie didn't reply as her heart gave another agonizing tug. In other words, Judy hadn't told anyone outside of the family that she existed either. Tears welled behind her eyes, but she fought them back, if only for the purpose of appearing as strong as her sister before her.

"And, Quinn," Judy continued, unaware of the effect she'd just had on her other daughter. "Charlotte and I have been exchanging calls for the last few weeks. Over that time and quite honestly the years before, I have learned to work past her sexuality, and I think she deserves a spot in this family despite her father's wishes. If she's going to be living with us again, I expect you to learn to accept her as well—"

"I've _never _had a problem with her being gay!" Quinn roared suddenly, 'causing Charlie to take a step back from the volume. "I've never even _cared_. I mean, I don't care about Santan—" Quinn immediately thought better about whatever she was going to say before continuing. "I knew before _she_ knew. I fought Dad to keep her here. I don't give a _damn_." She returned her gaze to Charlie. "But, where the hell were you last _Christmas_, huh, Char? Or even last _summer_? What about when _Beth _was born? Well, you weren't here, that's for damn sure."

By the time, Quinn had paused for a breath of air, Judy had a finger raised – no doubt to tell her off for language – but Charlie simply stared at her sister. Every fiber of her being willed her to scream at Quinn. It willed her to tell her that she hadn't come back for Beth because Russell hadn't allowed her to take leave from school. It willed her to tell her that the summer afterward, her mother had _advised _her to stay with Frannie and David because she thought that Charlie's return might be too stressful on Quinn on top of giving away the baby and the divorce. It willed her to tell her that Christmas of last year had been one of the darkest times of her life… But, Quinn was already talking again.

"Look, I can't stop you from living here, and I can't stop you from _ruining _the life I've made. You're here now, but nothing you ever do will make up for the fact that you weren't here _then_." And with that, her duplicate pivoted and walked straight out of the room.

"That went well." Judy murmured after a moment.

* * *

><p>When Charlie grew up and bought her own house, she decided she was going to paint something interesting on her ceiling. So, when she couldn't go to sleep, at least, there would be something exciting to look at. Because, right now, it was incredibly<em> boring<em>.

With a sigh, she turned in her bed, breathing deep the smell of clean laundry. Sometimes when you're not sure where your home is, that whole "there's no place like home" saying isn't always relevant. Because even though she'd slept in those sheets for years (at least since Frannie moved out and Charlie got her room), tonight they felt nearly akin to a hotel's.

Foreign.

Anyways, it took some time, but after a while, Charlie was finally drifting off into a dreamless unconscious… That is until the need to use the restroom suddenly struck her. Many expletives were muttered as she grumpily groaned and sat up in bed.

Eyes swung across the room, fixating and careening across the light blue paint, the pictures of she and Quinn as children, the old books stacked up on her night stand, and the posters splayed across the walls... Charlie wondered what Quinn and Judy told people when they came over. What about Quinn's friends? Had they ever seen the room? Or, had the door just stayed closed? A room they passed but never went into? Well, she figured as much as she slipped out of the sheets. The dust that coated about every flat surface was evidence of that...

It was while she was making her move to the door that Charlie suddenly remembered something and flicked her gaze toward a corner of the room. Disappointment clouded her eyes as they washed over the tiny table where the record player had used to be. With her luck, they probably sold it… Well, there went any chance of that vinyl not being a total waste of money.

Sighing again, she quickly made her way out of the room and down the hall to the restroom at the end. However, on her way, a sound distracted her, and Charlie found herself halting just outside of one of the doors. It was cracked open and a faint bar of light fell out of it and into the hallway, offering just enough illumination to make out something black revolving within the room, the steady crack and hum of music meeting her ears.

Curiosity piqued, Charlie couldn't help but peer inside, although as she did so, the corner of her eye caught a tiny sticker on the front of the door.

It was a light green, _Q_, and she finally remembered whose room she was standing outside of.

U2 flowed through the air as Charlie's old record player whizzed in a corner of Quinn's room. The soft, pleasant sound of her sister's voice accompanied it.

_I want to run,  
><em>_I want to hide,  
><em>_I want to tear down the walls,  
><em>_That hold me inside,  
>I want to reach out,<br>And touch the flame,  
><em>_Where the streets have no name. _

Despite everything that had happened between them earlier, Charlie couldn't help the stupid smile that had begun to cling to her face as she listened. _I knew she liked U2_, she thought to herself happily before quietly slipping away from Quinn's door. Although she would have liked to listen more, getting caught eavesdropping on Quinn singing wasn't exactly Charlie's idea of getting her sister to come around, so she retreated.

As she ventured back into the depths of the hallway a second time, thoughts cascaded through her mind… But the most prominent was this: Maybe, just maybe, they could fix this - whatever they had. Maybe they could learn to live together, and maybe they could work past each other's differences. But above all, maybe they were going to be okay...

Also, she thought quickening her pace to the restroom, she _really _had to pee.

* * *

><p><em>Woo! Oh my gosh, this chapter was so difficult for me to write. I mean, I had the ideas, but it was really hard getting them out in words. Hopefully, I delivered, and if I didn't, well, I'm sure you'll let me know. I promise next chapter will be better.<em>


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